Established in 2012, Re-Stream is a one-stop, green logistics services company headquartered in Waltham.

By Cindy Cantrell
Globe Correspondent
September 22, 2017

Established in 2012, Re-Stream is a one-stop, green logistics services company that assists clients in repurposing and recycling as much as possible. Its commercial services include renting moving equipment, recycling office supplies and electronics, secure shredding, and composting cafeteria food. The newly formalized Academic Logistics Division helps students and staff purge unwanted items, while relocating anything that is still useful.

Re-Stream also offers a Recycling Store with office supplies for schools and nonprofit organizations at its warehouse and office space located at 124 Prospect St. in Waltham. Owner Karen Osborn, a serial entrepreneur who previously co-founded Rentacrate, said her personal goal and company slogan is “zero waste for office space.”

Q. How did you get the idea for Re-Stream?

A. I was inspired by Edward Humes’s book, “Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash.” After I left Rentacrate in 2008, I didn’t know how to sit still — and there was still so much work to be done [in the recycling industry] that we hadn’t yet scratched the surface. I knew I couldn’t grow the same business platform, so I added services and expanded it.

Q. How are you helping clients keep material out of the landfill?

Advertisement

A. One way we divert waste is by giving away whatever we can to charities. That can mean dinette sets out of a cafeteria, endless amounts of artwork still in decent frames, or 1,000 cups with a company’s old logo. One organization we worked with didn’t want things with its old logo out there, so we ground them into fabric for t-shirts. The options are endless. I can’t exaggerate it.

A. We need to learn how to put value back in trash, because it does have a value. I always say that someday, we’ll be digging up the landfills and taking out everything that should never have been dumped in the first place.

Q. What is your vision for the company?

A. We also have locations in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, and my objective is to grow to 20 or 25 locations around the country so we can compete for national contracts. A [smaller] company is going to do ok, but I want ours to be scalable. I believe in making money, but I also want to make a bigger impact.